Move over coffee, there’s a new energy product in town. And it’s called Pzaz.
We’re complete suckers for some pretty packaging. Complete suckers. We’ll buy anything if it looks pretty. It’s a plus if the product itself is any good. Backward thinking, maybe. But if you’re a fiend for aesthetics, you’ll get it.
We’ll give you an example.
A couple of weeks ago, we came across the social page for Pzaz, a new chapstick-looking product pioneering the “on-the-go energy” category. Pzaz looks, and works, very similar to a to-go perfume bottle, only it sprays the following ingredients into your mouth: natural caffeine, electrolytes, vitamin C, vitamin B, and zinc.
Functionality aside, the design is top-notch. The minimalist yet bold branding screams “cool” in every sense of the word. See for yourself:
Image Credit: Pzaz
Of course, we instantly went to the store locator page on their website and bought a Pzaz stick that day from our neighborhood bodega. Here are all of our thoughts finished by a final ranking:
Likes
Branding
We said this above, but it feels like this is important to say again: the design is amazing. And because it’s so amazing, we feel proud carrying Pzaz around with us even if we’re not actively going to use the product. Why? Because it makes us feel cool by association. (Yes, that’s probably in our head, but we still love the serotonin boost.) And also, because it’s a conversation starter. When people see it, they’ll definitely ask you about it. What’s not to love?
Microdosing
As much as we love our morning, and afternoon, iced coffees, they make us feel anxious and jittery. So, we were excited to try out this alternative, and even more excited when we learned about this new phrase Pzaz is using to market the product: microdosing caffeine.
According to an integrative gastroenterologist (we don’t know what that is so look it up if you’re curious) named Dr. Marvin Singh: “The concept of microdosing is all the rage these days - and for good reason. Microdosing refers to the practice of taking tiny portions of a substance, usually around one-tenth or one-twentieth of a normal dose. The idea is to recap the positive benefits of a substance, without any of the negative.”
The idea is to recap the positive benefits of a substance, without any of the negative.
We’re clearly not scientists, but we have some questions about this. Don’t you need to intake a certain amount of caffeine for it to do its magic? No offense to Dr. Singh, but one tiny sip of coffee is not about to wake me up on a Monday morning. Our initial thoughts aside, we were excited to spray some Pzaz in our mouths and try out microdosing for ourselves.
Dislikes
Taste
Unfortunately, the taste did not at all match up to the flavor specified on the label. We bought the peppermint flavor which was advertised to be as minty as chewing a piece of Orbit gum, but the reality was quite the opposite. The liquid tasted a little bit sour and had an incredibly strong negative aftertaste that took eons to go away. Could that have been the zinc? Is that what zinc tastes like? Does zinc even have a taste? We have no idea, but it wasn’t good.
Energy
We waited five hours before making the conclusive decision that Pzaz gave us no energy whatsoever. Maybe we just didn’t have enough of it, but we weren’t about to spray any more of that in our mouths. Thoroughly disappointed, to say the least.
All in all, we give Pzaz a 3/10. The branding is truly carrying all the weight here. To be clear, we still recommend bringing it to a bar and casually leaving it out on the table next to your drink to spark a lively conversation. Someone may think you’re interesting for teaching them something new. Just make sure you don’t actually let them try it. Tell them to wait until the second date, and then never bring it with you ever again.
